Apparatus for degreasing strip metal stock



L- W. SNAFE April 16, 1957 APPARATUS FOR DEGREASING STRIP METAL STOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 3, 1952 L. W. SNAPE April 16, 1957 APPARATUS FOR DEGREASING STRIP METAL STOCK Filed June 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

aiimcwi M against the exposed face of the ribbon.

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR DEGREASING STRIP METAL STOCK Leonard W. Snape, Medford, Mass., assignor to The Gillette Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application June 3, 1952, Serial No. 291,497

4 Claims. (Cl. 15-306) This invention comprises a new and improved apparatus for degreasing metal strip of ribbon stock preparatory for further treatment. One important field of use for the apparatus is in degreasing thin steel stock for safety razor blades to prepare it for hardening, marking or other operations which are rendered more or less uncertain by the presence of an interrupted or continuous film of grease on the stock.

For uniform and accurate quality control of such operations, it has been found essential that the ribbon stock must be completely degreased and cleaned. Heretofore this has been attempted by using active organic solvent liquids or vapors but such expedients have not proved entirely adequate and have involved considerable difliculty in handling and confining the solvent as well as in avoiding danger or discomfort to the operator. These difficulties are entirely obviated by the employment of my new and improved apparatus, and moreover complete degreasing of the stock may be achieved at less expense and at a higher rate of speed than heretofore.

The invention is based on my discovery that satisfactory degreasing of metal ribbon stock may be achieved by continuously feeding the stock through a closed housing, and while thus enclosed and properly supported over a substantial area, directing blasts or currents of steam This action is greatly facilitated by providing means for the prompt removal of the spent steam from the area or areas of its application to the stock. Accordingly, an important feature of my improved apparatus comprises a closed housing containing steam nozzles directed toward the surface of the metal ribbon, together with exhaust connections for maintaining the housing under partial vacuum. This not only insures prompt removal of the spent steam from the area of stock under treatment, but increases the velocity of the blast and so augments its effectiveness.

Going more into detail, the apparatus of my invention includes a housing having inlet and exit slots at opposite sides which determine the path through the housing of the strip stock to be treated, together with steam outlets directed against one or both faces of the stock and exhaust connections for maintaining a partial vacuum in the housing; preferably and as herein shown, each steam nozzle is associated with a flat strip-supporting bar across the surface of which the strip stock is directed and which serves to support the stock in the area sub jected to the steam blast.

As an optional feature, the apparatus of my'invention includes also an outer casing designed to enclose the housing above-mentioned and to provide an insulating jacket therefor. Within this outer casing is located strip feeding means effective to draw the strip stock through the inner housing. One satisfactory strip feeding means comprises a pair of feed rolls driven from outside the casing and being provided also with controlling mechanism so that the rolls may be separated whenever it is desired to interrupt the feed of the stock or to facilitate threading new stock through the apparatus.

2,788,540 Patented Apr. 16, 1957 These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following descrip' tion of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a view of the apparatus in elevation with portions broken away;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing certain of the steam and exhaust connections and Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

The illustrated apparatus includes a flat bed plate 10 supported at convenient height by legs 11. The bed plate 10 supports an elongated cover or outer casing 12 which is rectangular in outline and provided at its righthand end as shown in Fig. 1 with a dome 13 and louvers for ventilation. Within the outer casing 12 and substantially insulated by it is located an elongated inner housing 14 having a lower wall provided with legs 15 and 16 which are bolted to the bed plate 10. This lower wall converges downwardly from both ends to a boss 17, in which is formed the exhaust connection of the housing. The housing 14 is substantially insulated from external conditions by the still air enclosed between it and the outer casing 12.

The left-hand or inlet end of the housing 14 is forked to provide bearings for a pair of guide rolls 18 which register with an inlet slot in the housing that is aligned with a corresponding outlet slot in its right-hand wall. The casing 12 is provided with slits in line with the inlet and outlet slits of the housing and with a removable cover 19 that may be temporarily secured in place by any convenient clamping means, not herein shown.

Within the housing 14 is provided an upright bracket 20 to which are bolted in longitudinally overlapping relation a lower guide bar 21 and an upper guide bar 22. These two guide bars are oifset vertically so that the upper face of the guide bar 21 lies substantially in a common plane with the lower face of the upper guide bar 22. Secured to the lower face of the upper guide bar 22 is a block or gate member 23, as best shown in Fig. 3. The bar 22 is slotted in its opposite edges to receive clamping bolts 24 which are threaded into the block 23, the construction being such that when one of the bolts is unscrewed, the other may be disengaged by transverse movement with respect to the bar 22. The bar 22 is channelled to receive a hardened and ground wear-piece 25 of nitralloy or the like, and this wear-piece supplies the actual overlying, strip-supporting surface across which the ribbon stock is fed through the housing. The block or gate member 23 is cut away to form a slot 26 or strip passage adjacent to the wear-piece 25, and it is recessed to form a steam nozzle 27 diverging upwardly from a nipple 28 threaded into the bottom of the block. The nipple 28 is threaded at its lower end into a right angle fitting 29, to which is connected a steam pipe 30, and this leads through suitable connections to a steam pipe 31 and to a cross fitting 32 located outside the inner housing 14 but inside the outer casing.

A similar block or gate member 33 is bolted to the upper face of the guide bar 21. It is provided with a downwardly directed divergent steam nozzle and connected through the fitting 34 and thepipe 35 to thecross fitting 32 above-mentioned. Through the cross fitting 32, live steam is supplied to both of the nozzles abovedescribed and for this purpose its downwardly directed outlet is connected to a valve 36 and a steam-supplied pipe 37, all located beneath the bed plate 10. Each guide bar and gate member is made up as a self-contained unit presenting an extended frame and hardened strip-supporting surface with a steam nozzle arranged to direct steam against the exposed face of the strip while supported in flat condition over an extended area.

The Eight-hand outlet of the cross fitting 32 is connested by a steam pipe 38 to. a gauge 39 located in. an opening or window formed in the outer casing 13. The location of the gauge 39 is shown in Fig. 2, and with the assista ceof this sense the operator may observe the. pressure of steam being supplied. to the nozzles in h gate. member .3 an 3 The exhaust connection to the housing 14 in the boss 17 comprises a downwardly extending pipe 40. provided with a shut-off valve 41 and leading into a T 42. The T 42 discharges through a horizontal pipe 44 in which is contained a small. waterpipe. 43 having a separate nozzle. The spray formed .in this manner within. the pipe 44 acts as a condenser that immediately condenses all exhaust. steam from; th housing 14 and maintains a substantial vacuum: therein while the apparatus is in operation. The effect of, this is to remove immediately spent. steam as it is deflected; from the surface of the r.i b bon stock. in the areas opposite to the. steam nozzles and to keep the interiorof the housing substantially dry at all times.

Within the dome portion 13 of the outer casing is located a pair of feed rolls, of which the lower roll 46 is journaled in an upright frame 47, and the. top roll 4.8 journaled inboxes 49 vertically movable in the. frame 47 and maintained always under spring pressure. A spring 50 is located under each of the journal boxes 49, and these tend at all times to lift the upper roll and interrupt the feeding operation when. permitted to do. so. The frame; 47 is, shaped with vertical guides for the journal boxes 49 and is provided at both sides with cap plates 51 in which is journaled, a transverse shaft 52. Upon this shaft is mounted cam, lever 53, provided with a cam projection 54 arranged to engage a filler plate. above each of; the journal boxes 49. The cam lever 53 is connected to a vertical operating rod 55 movable in a tubular stand 56 bolted to the bed plate It). A pair of springs 57 maintain the free end of the cam lever 53 at. all times in contact with the head of the operating rod. 55'. At its lower end this rod rests upon a cam 58 fast to a transverse shaft journaled in a yoke beneath the bed plate 10, and having at its outer end an operating handle 59.

The cam 58 is so shaped that the cam lever 53 is normally rocked in. a counter-clockwise direction to the limit of its movement, and; the cam. projection 54, therefore, yieldingly holds the rolls 46 and 48 in operative stock feeding position. When, however, it is desired to interrupt the stock feeding operation, the handle 59 maybe turned, lifting the operating rod 55 to swing the cam lever 53 in a clockwise direction and relieve the journal boxes 49 of pressure. The feed. rolls are always free to separate against the spring. tension of the springs 57 to permit the passage of a weld or other irregularity in the strip stock under treatment. It Will be noticed that the feed rolls and their operative. mechanismv are totally enclosed within the outer casing- 13, while, at the same time being under remotecontrolof. the handle 59. which is.

located outside the casing.

In order further to insure accurate. control ofthe strip stock, in passing through the apparatus, guide rolls 60 and 61 are journaledin' opposite sides of the frame 47v with their. effective upper and lower surfaces substantially in the Plane. ofthe strip-supporting faces of the guide bars; 21-. and, 2-2;.

The, apparatus above-described may; be successfully operated when steam is supplied to the nozzles at a gauge pressure of 60 to 100 lbs. gauge. pressure, and when a vacuum of approximately 4" of water is maintained in the housing 14. If the condenser herein shown is not adequate for that purpose, the exhaust pipe 44 may be connected to the exhaust system of the factory in which the apparatus is installed. Under these conditions ribbon steel stock as thin as .004" may be degreased. at high speed without any deformation of the stock. Experience indicates that lbs. steam pressure is critical for degreasing razor blade stock. Below that pressure the operation of the apparatus is not entirely satisfactory. The steam pressure of lbs. is entirely adequate and little advantage is gained by employing higher pressures at a strip feed of 56 ft. per minute.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail an illustrative embodiment thereof, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1.v Apparatus for degreasing ribbon. steel, comprising 2. Apparatus for degreasing. ribbon steel as described in claim 1, further characterized by a pair of connected bars olfset longitudinally and vertically for respectively supporting the steel ribbon by engaging its opposite surfaces in adjacent areas, and an enclosed steam nozzle located opposite to each supported: are of the ribbon and forming part of the means for directing the steam blast thereat.

3. In apparatus. of the character described. in claim 1, a self-contained unit comprising an elongated strip-supporting bar, and a block fastened to the bar, notched to.

provide therewith an intermediate strip. passage and having an enclosed steam outlet forming apart of the. means for directing a high velocity blast of steam into. said pas.- sage and. at the steel ribbon therein;

4. In apparatus of the character described in claim 1,.

a unit comprising an elongated bar presenting a hardened strip-supporting face, and a block fastenedto the bar and slotted to span said hardened face and to present strip passage thereon, said block having an enclosed steam nozzle opening into its slot and forming a part: of the means for directing steam in, a blast of high. velocity against a strip. supported over an. extended area by said.

hardened face.

References Cited in the file. of this patent. UNITED STATES PATENTS 392,082. Turner Oct. 3.0, 18.8.8. 1,886,581 Pitts d. Nov. 1932 2,0,03,397 Smith, In. June 4, 1935. 2,008,187 Pitts July 16, 1935 2,095,697 Hammer Oct. 12, 1937 2,232,805 Ruedebush Feb. 25, 194.1 2,255,859 Quigley Sept. 16.- 194.1 2,380,550 Reed luly 3.1., 19.45- 2, 6.40, 003. Steenberg May 26, 1953 

